Ramlila crackdown: FIR lodged against cops

New Delhi: Delhi Police have registered an FIR against unnamed police officers for causing hurt and injuries to yoga guru Ramdev`s supporters in the midnight crackdown at Ramlila Maidan last year, a fortnight after the Supreme Court asked it to do so.

The move comes after the Supreme Court on February 22 had rapped the Delhi Police for the midnight crackdown that took place in June last year.

"The case was been registered yesterday at the Kamla Market Police Station in Central Delhi," a senior police official said.

The move comes after the Supreme Court on February 22 had rapped the Delhi Police for the midnight crackdown.

In a huge embarrassment to the government, the apex court had come down heavily on the State and the Delhi Police for the midnight crackdown on Ramdev and his followers and sought criminal prosecution as well as disciplinary action against erring police personnel.

Describing the use of tear gas, lathi charge, brick batting and chasing of people out of the Ramlila Maidan on June 4 as "unjustifiable and brutal acts" on the part of the police, the court also did not spare the yoga guru and his followers for the violence.

In its response, the Delhi Police had said it will take action against those policemen who used excessive force while dealing with yoga guru Ramdev-led protesters at Ramlila Maidan last year in compliance of the apex court order on the incident in "full letter and spirit".

City Police Commissioner BK Gupta had said they were asked to take disciplinary action against those policemen who indulged in brick-batting or lathicharge against protesters and register criminal cases against policemen and members of the gathering for destruction of public property.

"We will abide by the Supreme Court order in full letter and spirit...We will take action against those policemen who had used excessive force on protesters," Gupta had told.

Gupta said the Supreme Court has maintained that it was not wrong on the part of Delhi Police to bring the issues to the notice of Home Ministry as they have to act collectively on law and order matters.

"They have divided collective responsibility and individual responsibility...we have to take disciplinary action against these policemen (those who indulged in violence)...we will first register a case and then take action," he had said.

Police have registered a case under Section 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of IPC against the "erring police officials who individually indulged in brick-batting which endangered human life and let to destruction of property".
"In the light of the observation passed by the Supreme Court, the act of individual police officials cannot be ascertained without the registration of a case," the FIR reads.

"The role of these policemen should be investigated in connection with brick-batting," it said.